What began as a humble effort to help local families in need, Lily’s Hope has evolved into a national organization that touches thousands of lives.
By Linda Harbrecht; Photos by Nick Chismar ’20, Spring 2026
It should have been a magical time in the couple’s young lives, but fate had other plans.
Instead of eagerly anticipating the birth of their first child, Moravian alums Justin P. Driscoll ’05 and Jennifer Kunes Driscoll ’05, G’11 found themselves struggling with Jennifer’s preeclampsia and placental abruption, which led to the premature birth of their daughter, Lilian Hope Driscoll ’29. Although Lily, who just completed her first year as a student at Moravian, survived the ordeal and is now thriving, it was a harrowing time for the new parents.
“We were so concerned that she wouldn’t make it 24 hours that we had her baptized in the hospital,” says Jen, who now serves as executive director of Lily’s Hope in addition to her full-time job as a project manager for the global engineering firm Chart Industries. “You just can’t imagine how stressful the whole experience is until you go through it.”
Their experience highlighted the challenges parents of preemies face, including a paucity of resources. The Driscolls quickly discovered that even seemingly insignificant items and measures can dramatically improve the lives of families of preemies and help them cope during a particularly stressful time. The grueling experience served as the catalyst for the Driscolls’ formation of Lily’s Hope, a nonprofit foundation that supports babies, children, and their families with unexpected and urgent needs resulting from premature birth.
Founded in 2013, the homespun, all-volunteer organization has grown tremendously, expanding from serving 44 families in its first year to 1,101 in 2025. Lily’s Hope has helped more than 7,500 families in every state in the country and currently partners with more than 20 hospitals and healthcare organizations to continue to identify and meet the needs of thousands of families who share circumstances similar to what the Driscolls faced.
We were so concerned that she wouldn’t make it 24 hours that we had her baptized in the hospital. You just can’t imagine how stressful the whole experience is until you go through it.”
—Jennifer Kunes Driscoll ’05, G’11
The work continues, Jen says, with a search for more expansive warehouse space and plans to create a mobile pantry that would allow for mobile packing parties at hospitals and other locations. However the organization evolves, the family members agree that it will be fueled both by their desire to give back and by the gratitude of those it serves.
Looking back on those early days of Lily’s life, the couple recall a blur of medical challenges: a brain bleed, blood transfusions, a ventilator to assist her immature lungs, an oscillator, and a tangle of tubes that needed constant attention.
“She was small for 33 weeks’ gestational age, and she almost didn’t make it,” says Jen, who credits “the amazing doctors and nurses at Lehigh Valley Hospital” for helping Lily pull through.
Every day that followed that critical 24-hour period brought small indicators of progress. Within a month in the NICU, Lily grew to 3 pounds 11 ounces and was pronounced healthy enough to go home. And that was the point, Jen recalls, when she realized how unprepared she and her husband were for the challenges ahead.
“We were only 24, both very young,” she says. “We were just adjusting to being new parents, and we were like, oh my gosh, there are so many things we need and so much support too.”
Their first challenge was taking Lily home in an infant seat that was far too big. Hospital nurses helped the couple tuck blankets around her tiny body to get her safely home, where the couple was greeted by neighbors who brought over disposable dining products to make meals easier. “It seems like such a small thing, but it was such a help and such a relief to have some basic needs met,” Jen recalls.
With every step forward, the couple gained a deeper appreciation for the simple things that parents and their babies need to get through those early days: smaller diapers, baby wipes, cleaning products, formula, tiny bibs and hats, baby monitors, special clothing that allows for cords and IV tubes, and countless other items that can be both costly and difficult to source.
In Lily’s case, the hurdles only increased with each phase of early childhood as she struggled with gastrointestinal issues and a general failure to thrive. She underwent several surgeries, required physical and speech therapy, and was regularly seen by a team of specialists at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
In 2013, Lily’s brother, Aidan, was born prematurely and also struggled with pulmonary issues, as well as severe allergies and asthma. Like Lily, he also required specialized care at CHOP and went through early intervention for physical, occupational, and speech therapy. And, like Lily, Aidan is thriving and is now deeply involved in the family’s foundation, serving as a student ambassador on the organization’s board of directors, enthusiastically volunteering at events, and, his parents say, dreaming up creative marketing plans to help spread awareness.
Lily’s Hope was inspired as much by gratitude as by need, according to Justin, who was recently promoted to the rank of lieutenant and commander of the patrol division of the Upper Saucon Police Department. The couple’s path to Lily’s Hope started with involvement with the March of Dimes and serving as an ambassador family, representing that organization’s mission to improve infant health. Both Jen and Justin realized that they could do more, and the idea of the foundation was born.
Adds Jen: “I don’t think we knew we’d be doing something like this, but I’m not surprised when I look back. My dad was a volunteer coordinator, so I grew up with this, and it was just a way of life. But in this case, we felt compelled to give back for what we’d been blessed with, and it’s really become a family passion.”
How do they juggle it all?
“Minimal sleep and lots of coffee,” says Jen, who finds reward in seeing how both Lily and Aidan share the commitment to serving others and have fully embraced the foundation’s mission.
“Both of our children are super-involved,” says Jen. “They’re both very empathetic, and we’re seeing them evolve into incredible humans. It’s really gratifying to see them take this on and really own it. They are always coming up with ideas, and they’re there for all the events. If they weren’t all in with us, we couldn’t do it.”
A container of stuffed animals and blankets at the Lily’s Hope Foundation warehouse in Allentown. Photo by Nick Chismar ’20
A Challenging Start
For her part, Lily has few memories of the critical five-year period in her young life, only recalling “lots of nurses and really, everyone else being so kind to me” during her frequent visits to CHOP.
“As traumatic as the whole situation was for my parents, I just remember that all the doctors and nurses were so positive and encouraging,” she recalls while sitting in Moravian’s Reeves Library on a recent sunny afternoon. “They were down-to-earth in explaining what was going on, and they just wanted me to be my healthiest self. Getting me to normal was the only goal.”
On that basis alone, Lily has exceeded all expectations. One year into her Moravian experience, she made the Dean’s List, has zeroed in on a major in speech pathology with a long-term goal of working toward her doctorate, has followed in her mother’s footsteps by joining Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, frequents the gym, works for event operations as a student tech, and remains deeply involved with the family foundation that was named after her. She also recently became a member of Chorale, Blue Stars, and the university choir. Next semester, she will oversee student orientation for incoming students and will become part of a select group that will serve as PUMP mentors for fellow undergraduates.
The Driscoll family at the Lily’s Hope Foundation warehouse in Allentown. Photo by Nick Chismar ’20
Although she was only 7 when the foundation was formed, Lily was involved from the first day. “I have some early memories of passing out brochures at Iron Pigs games, being at fundraising events, and packing up the supplies from our garage, which was always filled with boxes,” she says.
She also co-wrote with her mother a children’s book titled Lily’s Hope: A Preemie’s Journey of Hope, which follows the experiences of Lily and Aidan, and she shared authorship with her mother and brother on The Heroic Adventures of Hope the Hippo, which brings the foundation’s mascot to life. (A third book on preemie parents’ tips on getting through the NICU experience was authored by Jennifer and published in 2018, and the foundation has also been featured in three books on the topic of neonatal care.)
Packages of Hope
In the early days of the foundation, the couple focused on the immediate needs of preemies’ families by assembling bundles of necessary items that the Driscolls stored in their home. They have since outgrown that space and have fine-tuned the options in these “Packages of Hope” that are tailored to specific needs. Each represents at least $250 in items that are offered free to the families, and include a hospital care package for families with a baby still in the hospital, a transition home package, an emergency needs package, and even a sibling care package to help a preemie’s brother or sister feel included. Lily’s Hope also provides gift cards for Wawa, Uber, and Lyft, and sometimes pays for temporary housing for those in need.
“We never want to have to tell a family no,” said Justin in a Houndcast podcast shortly after he and Jen were named recipients of Moravian University’s 2025 Haupert Humanitarian Award for their work with Lily’s Hope. “It’s a balance between what resources we are able to provide and [what] we want to provide.”
The foundation relies solely on family members and volunteers to operate, which means that administrative costs are minimal. Beyond rent for their 2,200-square-foot warehouse space, every penny raised goes toward helping families, Jen says. That challenge underscores the need for a robust schedule of fundraising and awareness events, which are a significant portion of the family’s collective effort in running the foundation. Events take place throughout the year, with the largest and most visible including a golf outing at Green Pond Country Club, an annual gala at the Hotel Bethlehem, and a walk at the Lehigh Valley Zoo that takes place every May.
“Different chapters have events like mozzarella making or bingo—they come up with really creative ideas,” Lily says. “Churches will do donation drives. Some restaurants like Red Robin will pick a day and then donate 10 percent of all their sales that day to Lily’s Hope. It all helps. And the weekly packing parties at the warehouse are a great way for people to get involved in Lily’s Hope. The volunteers are there for two hours, but we can help as many as 30 families in that time.”
To keep a steady flow of supplies, the family has forged partnerships with corporations like Amazon and Walmart, as well as local and national healthcare organizations, local schools, church groups, social groups, and other groups that are willing to support the cause.
And sometimes the Driscoll family is surprised by donations that seemingly come out of nowhere, which happened when a $10,000 check from the Stephen Colbert Americone Dream Fund arrived in late 2025. Colbert donates 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream named in his honor to charities of concern for his Late Show staff. Lily’s Hope was identified as a deserving recipient by a show staff member, who remembered the impact the foundation had when her sister in North Carolina had a preemie.
“That was an awesome surprise,” Lily says. “And it was the kind of circumstance that really underscored the reach of the foundation.”
Testimonials consistently cite the foundation’s generosity, thoughtfulness, and, in many cases, relief that someone understood the parents’ unique challenges.
“Hearing from the families is huge,” says Jen. “They are so grateful, and we love being able to support them. It might be a small piece of equipment that only costs $30, but it can dramatically improve their lives.”
The frenetic pace of the Driscolls’ involvement can sometimes obscure the foundation’s impact, says Lily. “You do the packing parties, you go to the events, and that’s one thing. But then you get these testimonials from the people you’ve helped, and they are so incredible. Hearing about the impact is truly amazing, and it’s just a wonderful feeling.”
Adds Justin: “Seeing the reaction that you get from the families, and knowing that you’re helping them . . . you can’t even put into words how much it means.”
For more information, please go to lilyshopefoundation.org.
The Generous Embrace of the Moravian Family
As grateful as the Driscoll family is for the broad and generous support Lily’s Hope has received from outside sources, it is particularly touched by the embrace of the Moravian University family. Jen and Justin Driscoll have remained close with several Moravian classmates, including Joey ’05 and Gena Holmes ’05 and Dan ’05 and Heather Corey ’05, who have, in turn, been very supportive of Lily’s Hope. Heather, a sculptor and paper artist, was also the illustrator of Jen’s first children’s book.
Illustrating the book felt like “a natural extension of both our friendship and shared values,” says Heather, who drew from photographs of Lily and her own personal connection to her to capture her growth over time and infuse the project with authenticity and emotion. “The collaboration became an incredibly meaningful and rewarding creative experience, strengthening my bond with Jen and transforming our friendship into a unique partnership that blended art, storytelling, and community impact.”
Justin’s fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, identified Lily’s Hope as its philanthropy and has sponsored packing parties at the foundation’s warehouse as part of Moravian’s Heritage Day program, where Lily served as site captain. The fraternity also hosts fundraising events such as a recent volleyball tournament on campus.
For members of the Moravian family, Heather says, “giving back isn’t a separate endeavor; it’s a way of life and a central part of how we navigate the world as members of our communities.”
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